Common Types Of Combs And How To Use Them

Combs come in a plethora of shapes, sizes, colour and materials. From wood to plastic handles, aluminium bristles to goat hair bristles. The type of comb you will use is all a function of budget, type of hair and desired style. Can’t find a more fitting time to use the phrase ‘’Different folks for different folks’’. Each one is designed to carry out a different function. You might find yourself using 4 different combs on the same hair at a go. This article will help you take the confusion out of choosing the best comb for your situation.So what are the different types of combs anyway?

1. Rat Tail Comb

You might have owned a few of these in your life. The tail end of the rat tail comb is used in sectioning/parting hair. Especially relaxed hair or blow dried natural hair. This is because it creates a very sharp part. Pro hair stylists use the teeth of this comb to create coils by picking up hair and twisting it in a circle repeatedly. The teeth of this comb are also used in smoothing down hair for instance when creating a ponytail.

2. Paddle Brush

A good paddle brush will get you out of a stressful situation. This darling of a comb is used to brushing out or detangle matted and tangled hair. Amazingly, It can be used by straight or curly hair types, making it a versatile comb and must-have in your stash.

Source: creweorlando.co.uk

3. Synthetic and Natural Bristle Brush

This is by far the most popular brush type you will find on many women’s dressing tables and bathrooms. It is a jack of all trades. It detangles, smoothes down hair, can be used during a blow-out and is an all round, everyday brush. Its natural bristles counterpart has bristles made from boar bristles and is more expensive, but well worth it. Some brushes have a mix of both synthetic and boar bristles.

Synthetic bristles brush

Natural bristlesSource: Irish times

4. Wide Tooth Comb

As the name suggests, this comb has wide spaces between its teeth. A much-beloved comb by people with natural hair, this comb is mostly utilised in detangling hair. It works to remove tangles while preventing hair breakage and reducing split ends. If you have natural hair, this can be used to section or part the hair as opposed to a rat tail comb, only because it is gentler on your curls. The most popularly used variety is the wooden version.

Source : amazon uk

4. Fine Tooth Comb

Going over your hair with a fine tooth comb is ideal if you’re looking to create a smoothed down hairstyle and tame flyaways. A fine tooth comb also helps to work product down to your ends. It can be used by people with natural hair looking to slick down their ponytails or edges. It can also be used by people with short hair and long straight hair.

source: amazon

5. Afro Pick

Use an afro pick to lift your hair at the roots to create some volume or the illusion of volume. If you’re keen to go all the way, use it from root to tip to comb out your hair into a giant, majestic afro!. Some keep an afro pick in their hair as a cool fashion statement.

Source: amazon

6. Denman Brush

The Denman brush took the natural hair community by storm. It is quite a game-changer and came in at a time when naturalistas were complaining about frizzing and knots when using normal combs.This comb is mainly used to detangle type 3 and type 4 hair. Users have reported taking less time to detangle,less frizz and more curl definition.

source: denmanbrushus.com

7. Round Brush

You may have seen your hairstylist use this brush while blow-drying your hair.It looks like a medieval contraption of sorts but its importance cannot be overstated. This brush is used with a blow-dryer to mainly create tons of volume and a bit of curl. Point the nozzle of the blow-dryer at the root of the hair and use the brush. Just make sure hair is about 80% dry. Not wet!

Source: look fantastic

8. Vented Brush

This brush is also used when blow-drying, to cut down on drying time, as the blast of air from the blow-dryer flows through the vents, unlike a normal brush.